Shattered
by AngelOfPride
Summary: "You put those thoughts into his head...Two-faced, traitorous wretch!" Shere Khan discovers who it was that brought the man-cub, Mowgli, into the jungle in the first place. However, the answer he finds is not one he had expected.
The jungle was never a quiet place. Even now, in the dead of night while the moon hung high in the star-filled sky, the trees and plains were alive with the sound of the night creatures as they flocked to the pool around Peace Rock for their share. Yet on a cliff ledge overhanging the glowing trees, all was quite still. For upon this cliff ledge sat a tiger, and nobody dare approach him nor his temper. Shere Khan flicked his striped tail back and forth slowly, his claws sliding out of their sheaths and into the dirt as he narrowed his gaze into the darkness.

The cat flicked one ear behind him at the faintest of rustles in the leaves. The sound was almost silent, but Khan was ever alert; he remained mute as the lithe form of a panther padded slowly beside him. With his black pelt illuminated by the stars, Bagheera sat beside the tiger in silence, sure to keep a tail-length between them.

They remained like this for some time, with tense muscles and clenched jaws, daring the other to speak or perhaps strike first.

It was the panther who broke the stillness with a small sigh, "Khan, I know that was hard for you today...seeing him for the first time."

The tiger neglected to respond, save for his ears falling flat against his skull, and so Bagheera went on with wariness lacing his voice, "I promise you, the man-cub is no threat. He knows nothing of his own kind."  
"Remind me again, Bagheera, how long you and I have known one another."  
His gruff, cold voice caused the black cat to narrow his pale green eyes as he answered, "Since cubhood, of course."  
"And yet you neglected to tell me of this...man-cub's arrival." Khan growled.

There was a pause, then Bagheera spoke, "You were gone. How could I have told you?"  
Hesitating only slightly, Shere Khan scoffed irritably, for he had no argument for that. However, his ears twitched forward again as he narrowed his gaze further over the endless jungle, "Out of curiosity, which of the wolves was it who discovered the little beast and brought him here?"

' _The white she-wolf perhaps?'_ he pondered, _'She seemed awfully protective'._

"I did."  
The tiger froze, his thoughts screeching to a halt. He could feel Bagheera's large eyes on the side of his face, and he could sense the guilt radiating off of the panther in waves, but no regret accompanied it.

"You...what?" Khan growled lowly, claws slipping into the ground slowly.

Bagheera shifted his weight slightly beside him, "He's just a cub, Khan." he said softly, "Please just leave him be and don't let us begin a quarrel now. Not on such a calm night."

Shere Khan's lip pulled away from his teeth slightly, "I trusted you. I thought you _understood._ " his voice rose slightly.

"Mowgli has only ever known the jungle, he is not like other men!" Bagheera reasoned, wincing as the tiger's streaked pelt began to bristle.

The child's name sent a furious twitch through the tiger's entire body, "You gave him to the wolves. Let him think that he _belongs_ here."he snarled darkly.

The panther remained silent, but his body tensed and his ears flicked uncomfortably as he noticed the tiger's good eye shift towards him menacingly.

"You put those thoughts into his head...Two-faced, traitorous **wretch**!"

The smaller cat had only a second to leap away before Shere Khan turned and lunged for him; claws dug into his flanks and tore down his sides while he flexed his body painfully in an effort to escape the tiger's grasp.

Khan bellowed furiously as the black cat finally hauled himself out of his grip, immediately streaking into the jungle and out of sight.

The tiger made no effort to give chase, but his good eye glowered hatefully into the trees, "I'll kill you for this, Bagheera! Do you hear me? I'll kill you!"

 **A/N: Based on the events of the 2016 live action movie.**

 **So this one is a little short but I'm quite pleased with it. I love the concept of a history between Shere Khan and Bagheera (romantic or platonic, either suits me), and wondered how Khan would have felt towards a former friend after an act of what I think he would perceive as betrayal (i.e. Bagheera bringing Mowgli to live in the jungle).**

 **I took a little bit of inspiration for the dialogue from a scene in the movie 'Babe' between Fly and Rex, so if this seems a little familiar that's probably why haha.**


End file.
